Census 2020 Can Strengthen our Community — If YOU Take Part

What is one fast, safe, and important thing you can do to empower our community?Participate in the Census! Just 10 minutes will make a difference for 10 years. (Watch our Facebook LIve video.)

At MEDA, we work daily to increase civic participation so that we have a voice in the political process, yet we all know that within our diverse immigrant community, not everyone can vote.

But we also know that immigrant communities are “among the strongest fiscal and economic contributors in the U.S.,” according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine 2017 report.

If you cannot vote, how can you still make sure you count? Well, once every decade (years that end in “0”), regardless of immigration or citizenship status, each of us gets a chance to make sure that our presence matters when decisions are being made about so many things that impact our lives. That means housing. Jobs. Schools.

Our numbers directly translate into resources for our community, and those resources should match our contribution to the economy. But if we fail to participate and be counted in the Census, it is as if we are not even here.

Understanding the value of the representation of our immigrant communities means we need to ensure that we count ourselves so that resources are distributed fairly. The Census is the way to achieve this goal: It allows everyone living in the United States to participate, without fear. That is because when you participate in the Census, your information remains private. The Census will not release your personal information to anyone. Your answers will be protected, and your presence will count toward ensuring that much needed and important resources come to our community.

What do these resources look like?

Being counted on the Census averages $10,000 in resources per person coming back to our community over a 10-year period.

For a neighborhood such as the Mission, it could help determine where more affordable housing will be built and how much funding programs, such as Section 8, could receive.

The Census can create jobs.

San Francisco could be a better place to live by funding better preparedness for emergencies and building more schools, roads and hospitals.

Ten minutes of your time to answer nine questions on the Census is a way you can have a say on how roughly $675 billion in federal funds should be spent. This is a once-a-decade opportunity that can have a huge impact locally and statewide and for you and your family.

Remember: the Census is not just about money, as it is also about power.

Through the Census, we are able to paint a picture of our community and inform the government about the needs of our population. With the knowledge of our community’s size and situation, we can make a better case for needed changes that improve lives and protect the residents of the Mission, and other communities like ours.

The influence we have does not stop there, as the Census also gives us the power to reshape the political landscape of the United States. The Census determines how representation in Congress is distributed. This is important because the more representation we have, the more politicians we will have working for our community. Our representation directly relates to the power we as a community are able to leverage to affect change.

Make time to answer the Census. Make your voice heard. Make change.

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The Census is our time to make a difference by being counted.If you have any questions or want to learn more, check out sfcounts.org.